


The First To Go

by EllieHeggles



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animal Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gender-Neutral Farmer, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hurt/Comfort, I nearly called the chicken dusty and then remembered Dusty is the dog lol, Not Beta Read, Other, a chicken dies and it's sad, but it's all aboard the shane train babey, mild mention of shane's poor mental health, others are mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 08:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17179634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieHeggles/pseuds/EllieHeggles
Summary: The favourite farmer of Pelican Town disappears for a few days and is found in their house, a well-loved but unwell chicken in their arms.Or in which Shane helps the farmer through the first death of an animal.





	The First To Go

No one had seen the farmer for a few days. Usually, they were at the saloon on a Friday, chatting away and making merry with the village. But the saloon was void of their presence and seemed so much quieter. No one was playing pool with Sam and Seb or keeping Abigail company on the couch or, as they would call it, “kicking ass” in Journey of the Prairie King. Shane stood alone, used to being dragged in by the farmer telling him that he wouldn’t be left alone until he smiled. And it usually worked, Shane would be danced and joked with until he laughed so hard that his gut hurt and his beer was left forgotten on the bar.

Someone suggested that maybe the farmer had caught the flu or hurt themself, and Doctor Harvey should have to be the one to check up on them. Harvey had mentioned in passing that it was possible for him to perform wellness checks on patients if he had a reason to. (Shane had shuddered when he mentioned it, he had a fair few recently and they always left him feeling odd.) The other villagers, mainly Jodie, who had taken it upon herself to mother the poor farmer, had insisted that he perform such a check. (Cue Jodie arguing, “That sword they carry! I know their boots are sturdy but I’m certain that the purple death trap could slice through them like butter!” And cue each person listening to shudder and curl their feet up in horror.) But Shane had flat out refused. He would be the one. The farmer had saved him, helped him get his life back on track and he wanted to repay the favour by making sure they were okay. And if they weren’t? They’d have someone to help them get better. Shane could carry the farmer if they physically hurt and could give them the number of his therapist if it was something mental.

As the Saturday sun shone down on the village, Shane walked the short distance from his front door - Marnie telling him to make sure the animals were kept well and to ask whether the farmer needed more hay or a helping hand - to the back entrance to the farm. Only a few years ago it had been a mess, overgrown and unkempt, and it was the only image of the plot of land Shane had. Yet when he entered it, it was completely different. It was neatly plotted out into arable farming - mostly bright blueberries and melons growing underneath the summer sun - and a considerably larger portion was dedicated to pastoral farming - two coops, two barns and a silo for each could be seen as well as the animals grazing happily - and a couple of sheds that he assumed were for storage. So far, all appeared well and when, after making the journey from the bottom of the farm to the farmhouse (via the stone path laid out), he peered into the shipping box, there were crops and animal products boxed and packaged for Lewis. That meant they had been busy. He took a deep breath and walked straight up the stairs to the door and knocked.

No answer.

He knocked again.

A tiny “come in?” was whispered from within. The fact it was a question was concerning to Shane. Had the farmer not expected someone to see if they were okay?

He entered - the door was unlocked - and looked around. The kitchen and living room, while both decorated beautifully, was void of what Shane was looking for.

“I’m in here.” The voice of the farmer came from their bedroom. Shane followed the voice and entered the bedroom. He had been in the farmer’s house only once before, back when it was tiny. They had collapsed from heat exhaustion about a week into their first summer in Pelican Town. The heat had finally got to them and they stood in the saloon, ordering pizza when they had suddenly sat on the floor. Shane only had time to reach them before their eyes rolled and flickered and they passed out completely. He had been helped by Harvey and Gus that time and they had all got them cool and home and healthy. It was much bigger than he remembered. Robin had upgraded the house twice since then and she had made it so perfect that Shane felt almost bitter towards his room in Marnie’s ranch.

His eyes landed on the fireplace. It was smouldering, only a few embers glowing, but the farmer sat close to it like a lifeline.

“How are you-” He began, but then he realised that the farmer was rocking something in their arms, and when they looked to see who was in their house, he noticed the tear tracks down their cheeks. Shane changed his question, “What’s wrong?” And a soft sob filled the room. He half ran to see what was wrong. They were holding a chicken. It was the first chicken they had bought when their coop had been built. She had been an older bird when they had bought her and was a good egg-layer, not the best, but the perfect first chicken for a farmer’s first adventure into chicken rearing. Shane remembered naming her with Jas who had been a toddler at the time. Julia. It made him laugh for some reason and had stuck. The farmer had always called her Jules for short.

“Jules-” The farmer hiccoughed and Shane felt his stomach drop as he saw the animal. The farmer had told him and Marnie when she stopped laying eggs over the winter and gave updates regularly. She had been happy all spring, but she was an old lady now. And she was on her last legs. Shane sat on the rug next to the farmer. He wrapped one arm around them and let the other stroke Julia.

“It’s okay, girl.” He told the chicken as he stroked the feathered head.

“You’ve been great.” The farmer choked out, tears falling and shoulders shaking, “You can go if you need to.” Shane knew the feeling of holding a dying chicken. Their heart was beating and you could feel it, even as it slowed and stopped. He closed his eyes and held his hand to the chest of the animal.

As the farmer whispered almost unintelligible words to her, the heartbeat slowed and stopped.

“She’s gone.” The farmer was in shock. They shook and asked him to take the animal from them. Shane obeyed the request. Julia had been sat on a blanket that already had chicken poop and straw on it.

“We can wrap her in this blanket and bury her. If you want?” He suggested. He usually cried and drank about each animal dying. But not in front of the farmer. He needed to put up a front for them. The farmer nodded.

“Behind the farmhouse, near the fence.” They said, “She liked to sleep there. Never cared if the dog went near her.” A hiccough and sniff punctuated the end of their utterance. “I’ll dig the hole.” And they stood, grabbed a shovel from the pile of tools on a table and left the building. With gentle hands, Shane wrapped Julia’s body with the blanket, making sure that she was comfortable and safe and snug.

“There we go, sweetie, you’ll be okay.” He spoke to the animal, knowing it wouldn’t help anything but himself. Happy that she was secure, he took the bundle out of the farmhouse and walked to where the farmer had described.

They stood next to a hole, dried tears on their face but none falling. They had dug so intensely in a fairly short amount of time that they were out of breath and sweaty.

“Can I put her in?” They asked and Shane nodded, passing the bundle like it was a baby. He watched the farmer kneel and place the bundled animal in the hole, “Thank you, Julia. You were the most amazing first chicken I could’ve asked for. Julien, your son, will carry your memory on through his many children.” The farmer had wet eyes but seemed to be out of tears. They stood in silence only briefly and then began to bury her completely. There was a mound of dirt that had come from the hole they had made. A pile of stones, some of which had been broken down into pebbles, stood next to it. Shane was confused until the mound of dirt hid the blanketed bird completely and the farmer took the largest of the stones and began to make a neater pile over the freshly dug dirt.

“Mind if I help?” He asked.

“Please do.” They replied. The sun may have been shining hotly down on the pair, but neither noticed. Methodically they built a gravestone held down by the weight of the stones used to build it. They only stopped when each pebble had been used.

“Thank you.” Shane had been stretching his back when the farmer spoke.

“Of course.” He flashed them a sad smile and then they had their arms around him. And his arms were around them. It was a hug with so much emotion poured into it that Shane’s eyes burnt. He hadn’t been hugged like this ever. It was so different to Jas hugging him or his ex-girlfriends and boyfriends hugging him. The farmer broke their embrace, leaving maybe an inch between the two and picked a feather off of their t-shirt. With the hand holding the feather, they reached up and wiped a tear from Shane’s cheek, the feather tickling his face.

“Thanks.” He smiled down at the farmer. How had he never noticed that he was taller by at least a head? And how was only just noticing that he had taken their hand in his? And he was hardly aware of himself when he leant down and planted his lips on their forehead. Both parties were red when they moved their head away and stretched to kiss him properly.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm very glad that animals don't die in SDV like they can in Harvest Moon because that was always the worst :(


End file.
